Brush Pottery Cookie Jars

History & Description

Brush Pottery was an American-based ceramics manufacturer that is generally credited with producing the first ceramic cookie jar.

The company was established in 1906 by George Brush in Zanesville, Ohio, and merged with the larger J.W. McCoy Pottery Company in 1911 to form the Brush McCoy Pottery Co. The coalition only lasted until 1918 and in 1925, the company’s name changed to Brush Pottery.

The Brush Kolorkraft, made in 1929, is generally recognised as the first ceramic cookie jar. The jar was a simple green bowl with the word “cookie” embossed on its front. From the 1930s onwards, the company produced a wide variety of cookie jars and designs became increasingly innovative and complex with animals, fruits, animals predominating.

Guide for collectors

Many of the company’s original cookie jar moulds were sold and used later for reproductions. As a result, it can be extremely difficult for collectors to distinguish genuine, vintage models from later replicas. Many of the early jars were designed by Don and Ross Winton and these bear the mark “W” on the products' base.

Collectors should be aware that any cookie jar labelled Brush McCoy Pottery Company is a later reproduction as no jars were produced during the company's short existence (1911-1925). As previously mentioned, the first Brush Pottery cookie jars were made from 1929 while McCoy Pottery Company did not manufacturer cookie jars until the late-1930s.

Notable auction sales

On March 11th 2012, a cow cookie jar, circa 1940s, was sold on eBay for $331.

On September 22nd 2011 at Straswer Auction Group in Wolcottville, Indiana, a circus horse cookie jar realised a price of $180.

On April 14th 2012, a formal pig cookie jar, circa 1940-1950, was sold on eBay for $175.

On April 16th 2012, a squirrel on log cookie jar, circa 1950-1965, was sold on eBay for $175.